


caught in flames

by babyweis



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Age Swap, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kinda, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Prince!Minhyuk, aka yeojoo, fem!kihyun, i mean its barely there but just to be sure, minhyuk has no filter, prince!Hyungwon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-03
Updated: 2018-11-03
Packaged: 2019-08-17 06:50:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16511372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babyweis/pseuds/babyweis
Summary: As expected of the youngest prince of South, Minhyuk accompanies his sister in the kingdom of North when she's supposed to settle down in her new home due to an arranged marriage with the land's crown prince.Falling for the glacial kingdom's second prince was definitely not a part of the plan.





	caught in flames

**Author's Note:**

> happy minhyuk day!!!!
> 
> (it's still the 3rd somewhere in the world ok im technically not late)

 

  
"It's so cold," Minhyuk complains, his arms draped around his upper body in a lone hug. Yeojoo gives him an unimpressed look underneath the hood of her cloak.

"I told you to dress warm," she says, "but you just never listen. You're like a child."

Minhyuk huffs in response, the air steaming up as it leaves his mouth. "I can't understand why anyone would want to live here."

The guard leading them inside the castle a few steps ahead tenses up for a second, and Yeojoo steps right on Minhyuk's feet with her sharp heel, causing the latter to cry out in pain.

" _What_ -"

"For once, act like royalty," she hisses in his ear, interrupting him. Minhyuk gives her a look and attempts shifting his weight mostly to his other foot as they stop in front of the castle doors. Damn, it stings.

The guards on the door exchange a few words with the one leading them, their Northern accents so heavy Minhyuk can barely understand what they are saying, and then they push the doors open, the old metallic joints creaking heavily. Minhyuk grimaces.

Frankly, he doesn't understand why his parents decided that having their daughter marry the crown prince of this cold, ancient kingdom would be a good idea. The castle seems like it hasn't been renovated in decades, they are surrounded by nothing but mountain tops and endless forests of pine trees, and the people are so old-fashioned. In all senses of the word. _And_ it's freezing cold outside.

He wonders how Yeojoo is going to manage, likely living here for the rest of her life. He already feels like crying for having to stay in the place for two whole months. He's not used to this. He's a summer child, thoroughly, growing up surrounded by green, lush meadows and sunrays warming his face all year-round. The flaming red hair he shares with his siblings is just a visible reminder of that.

And this land doesn't even _have_ a summer.

"After you," the guard grunts, bowing his head, and Yeojoo walks inside, Minhyuk trailing after her. He inhales deeply in relief at the warm air greeting them and lifts his hands up to his cheeks, rubbing at them to get the blood running again.

At least the decor of the hall is nice.

"Go inform His Majesty that the guests have arrived," the guard orders the servant standing to the side. She bows hastily and then strides towards the end of the long hall, disappearing behind the corner.

"Shall we wait here?" Yeojoo asks, and the guard nods.

"Yes, Your Highness. I'm certain they won't take long."

"I'm surprised they didn't put up a ceremony to welcome us, or anything."

" _Minhyuk_ ," Yeojoo hisses. Minhyuk steps to the side just in time to escape his other foot getting stepped on as well and suppresses the need to stick his tongue out at her. He might be brutally honest about certain things, but he's not a child. "I should have asked Jooheon to come along instead."

"You know he couldn't have come, anyway."

"Yeah, because he is focusing on his duties instead of acting like an unsophisticated brat."

Minhyuk doesn't get to give her a snarky comment in response - he _is_ fulfilling his duties right at the moment as well, accompanying her like her youngest brother should, thank you very much - as there's a sudden sound of footsteps from the other end of the hall.

The king of the North looks exactly as Minhyuk expected - his hair and beard a frosty white, dressed in sky blue robes with white fur grazing the neckline and sleeves, heavy gold draped around his neck. His queen is similar, navy diamonds decorating her ears and her long, silver hair braided.

Different from their kingdom, the kingdom of North doesn't have even one princess - only three princes. Minhyuk has only bothered to learn the name of the crown prince - Hoseok - since he's the one to marry Yeojoo. Minhyuk assumes he's the one walking beside their parents, sharing the colour of his hair with his father. He doesn't get to see the two others walking a step behind, as Yeojoo is ushering him to kneel down with her. He does that, hesitant - it's his second time visiting another kingdom and he's not used to being the one kneeling in front of someone.

"Good evening, Your Majesty," Yeojoo speaks. Minhyuk isn't sure if he's supposed to say something, so for once in his life he stays quiet, staring down at the floor with his thick cloak weighing him down. Well, isn't this uncomfortable. "I'm princess Yeojoo, and this is my younger brother, prince Minhyuk."

"I'm pleased to meet both of you," the king answers. His voice is deep and rough. "Please, do get up."

They do just that, and in the process Minhyuk ends up making an eye-contact with unfamiliar eyes. _Oh,_ he thinks, freezing on his place as he does so, because whoever this person is, they have beautiful eyes.

It's only that the said person removes their gaze first that Minhyuk recovers from his dazed state, blinking. It takes him a moment to realize that it must be one of the princes who was trailing behind earlier, as he's also dressed in blue with gold around his neck, his white hair pushed back from his forehead.

Minhyuk might stare, a little. It's a fact that he has learned to accept that he's pretty much attracted to men instead of women, and so he can't help appreciating it when a man this ethereal is standing right in front of him.

He only snaps out of it when the king speaks again, gesturing towards his sons to introduce them. Minhyuk was right, about the one walking beside his parents being crown prince Hoseok. He doesn't miss the shyness in both of their voices as him and Yeojoo greet each other, and silently approves of their marriage already.

The pretty man he was staring at earlier is called Hyungwon. He's the second prince, the middle child - two years older than Minhyuk. And if Minhyuk's chances were already low with the both of them being men, they decrease into nothingness with that information. Minhyuk might be a prince, but he's the third prince in line in his own kingdom, _fifth_ out of all his siblings, and surely, this gorgeous, older, second prince of North is going to pay him no mind.

Reminding himself that that's even not what he's here for, he glances over at the person who shares his position but in a different kingdom - the third prince of the North. Instead of snowy white, he shares his hair colour with his mother, ashy silver, pulled back into a tiny ponytail on top of his head. His eyes are sharp and his voice deep as he mutters his greetings, resembling his father.

Maybe Minhyuk can make him his companion for the time he's spending there. Yeojoo will be busy with the crown prince and the wedding preparations anyway, and he would rather not play the role of the third wheel for the two following months.

"Hoseok, how about you show Yeojoo her room?" the queen speaks up, gesturing between the married-to-be couple with her well-manicured hand. "Changkyun, you go with prince Minhyuk. The servants already brought their things in earlier. We will be having dinner in the main hall soon."

Oh, thank god.

"Of course," Hoseok and Changkyun utter in unison. Minhyuk shares one last look with her sister and throws a hasty look in Hyungwon's direction before following Changkyun out of the hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
"So," Minhyuk starts as they're climbing up the depressingly long stairs, "does it really snow in here all year? In June, July and August too?"

"Yes, mostly," Changkyun answers simply, a few steps ahead of Minhyuk. He seems unaffected by the infinite amount of stairs.

"How do you live with that?" Minhyuk asks bluntly. He bites at his tongue afterwards, with no Yeojoo around to scold him. "I mean-"

"I'm used to it," Changkyun says with a shrug of his shoulders, not letting Minhyuk finish. Honestly speaking, he seems unaffected by everything.

They reach the top of the stairs, and Minhyuk actually sighs in relief, stopping there to stretch his legs. Changkyun stops as well, giving him a pretty much blank look with just the smallest curl of his eyebrow.

"I'm not used to long stairs," Minhyuk explains to him. The boy gives him a look that says, _I figured_ , and shrugs his shoulders again, pointing at the door a few metres ahead.

"Your room is there," he says. "You may go change your clothes for the dinner. It's served downstairs, in the hall just opposite the stairs. I'll go change as well."

With that, he leaves, skidding down the long hallway with his robes pooling around his legs. Minhyuk heaves another sigh and stomps his way over to his apparent room.

So much for that friendship. It seems like Changkyun isn't very keen on spending time with him. He wonders if it's something he did - or said - or if the boy just has some kind of a dislike for people in general.

Minhyuk is going to have to befriend the servants and guards at this rate.

He steps inside the room and pulls the door shut behind him. It's alright - pretty much half of his room back home, but spacious nonethless. The curtains, bedsheets and other pieces of fabric are all different shades of blue, while the walls, ceiling and the floor are white, bringing light to the room with the help of the wide doors of the balcony.

Back home, he spends a lot of time in the balcony of his room. It overlooks their garden, the walls surrounding the castle lining up somewhere in the distance. He doubts he'll spend a lot of time in the one in here, or outside at all, at that matter. It's just so damn cold. What's the fun in even having windows when all you could see through them is just white, white, _white_?

Huffing, he gets rid of his cloak, and then his boots, leaving them somewhere on the floor. His luggage has been left next to his bed, and he strides over to it, pulling out clean robes to change into. It would be preferable to take a bath in between changing, but he always takes a long time bathing, and he doesn't really want to be late for the first dinner he's having here.

Once changed, he gathers his dirtied clothes and passes them in a basket by the door - he supposes it's for dirty laundry - and then leaves the room.

Oh, the cursed stairs. At least it's not as exhausting to go down as it was to climb up.

Everyone else is already in the dining room, aside from Changkyun. As expected, the king and the queen have taken up the ends of the table. Hoseok sits on the seat closest to the king, and, next to him, there is Yeojoo. They already look like a couple, Minhyuk thinks to himself, his eyes darting to where Hyungwon is sitting across from Hoseok.

Minhyuk can only see the back of his head from where he is standing, but somehow, it doesn't make him any less breathtaking. Minhyuk thinks he should feel a little envious for that.

"Sit down, boy," the king tells him, gesturing at the seat next to Yeojoo, and Minhyuk is quick to obey, bowing his head at the older man as he passes by him to reach his seat.

Changkyun arrives to the room at the same moment and sits down next to Hyungwon, and the servants scattered around the room step forwards to serve them.

"This castle is really beautiful," Yeojoo says, polite as always, "very different from my father's."

"I thought your father's castle's architecture is really admirable when we visited there years ago," the queen speaks up, smiling pleasantly at Yeojoo, "I guess the differences are what makes each so beautiful."

"Indeed," the king says, waving a servant over with his hand to have wine poured to his glass. "Our kingdoms really are different, like from different words. I hope you will like it here."

"I'm sure I will," Yeojoo says, "my brother, too. He enjoys new experiences a lot."

"I don't really enjoy cold, though," Minhyuk says. There's a silence after that, and he holds back a grimace, the awkwardness falling heavily on his shoulders.

Then someone laughs. Minhyuk whips his head to his right to its direction, and finds Hyungwon there, hiding a grin behind his hands with his eyes twinkling, and it just might do things to Minhyuk's mind.

It certainly does things to the awkward, uncomfortable tension that fell in the room earlier, and then Minhyuk has to take a moment because Hyungwon actually laughed at what he said.

"Honest," Hyungwon says, glancing at his speechless father before looking back at Minhyuk. "I like that."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I can't believe you," Yeojoo hisses when they're done with the dinner, dragging Minhyuk to the side with an iron grip around his wrist. "Minhyuk, I know your mouth has no filter, but _please_ , try to think before you speak."

Minhyuk pulls his hand free and rubs at his wrist, glowering at her. "The second prince laughed, though."

"He was probably just trying to save the situation," Yeojoo sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose while closing her eyes as if she was dealing with a headache. "Father would kill you if he knew how you're behaving in here."

"I didn't really even do anything," Minhyuk protests, even though he knows she's right. It's a well-known fact in their castle that his youngest son's loud mouth drives the Southern king to the edge of madness.

" _You_ -" Yeojoo starts, but stops herself, inhaling deeply. "I'm serious, Minhyuk."

Minhyuk crosses his arms and chews at his lower lip, glaring at the floor as he does so. "I know," he says. "I'll try keep it down."

" _Thank you."_

"Princess Yeojoo?"

The two of them swirl around at the voice, Minhyuk almost losing his balance in the process. He places a hand on his chest and breathes deeply to steady himself.

Hyungwon is looking at him with an amused smile tugging at his lips, his head tilted to the side. Minhyuk blinks, and in that short time the second prince is already looking at Yeojoo instead. "My brother was looking for you," he says, "he'd like to take you for a walk around the castle."

"Oh," Yeojoo says softly. Minhyuk squints at the faint blush on her cheeks - it's _very_ rare to see her like this. "Of course. Where is he?"

"Down the hall, I believe."

Yeojoo thanks him and bows hastily before skidding down the hall and disappearing around the corner. Minhyuk blinks again - _abandoned, just like that_ \- and looks at Hyungwon, expecting him to leave.

He doesn't. He stands there, tall, his height rivaling Hyunwoo - Minhyuk's oldest brother and also the crown prince of their kingdom. Minhyuk himself isn't exactly short either, but he still has to look up at him to meet his eyes.

"Can I help you?" he asks warily.

He didn't expect Hyungwon to laugh, again, but that's what he does, bringing his hand up to his face as he does.

"Actually," he starts, the smile still on his face even if he's stopped laughing, "I was thinking of helping _you_ to find your way around the castle."

Minhyuk raises an eyebrow, not quite believing what he's hearing - that this man, this man, the second prince of another kingdom, older and so much more beautiful than him, is offering to show him around his home.

Now, it's not like Minhyuk isn't attractive, or that he doesn't ever receive attention. He knows he's good-looking - pretty, even, heard many times that his beauty even rivals both of his sisters. That, combined with the fact that he still is a prince, royal blood, does bring him admirers. But it's hardly ever someone who's of higher rank than him, or someone who's actually also _attractive_. It's even rarer on the occassions that they've spend more than two minutes in his company, because no one really is fond of the way Minhyuk blurts things out of his mouth without thinking. _No one_. It's even a common joke around in their kingdom, and one more reason for their father to scold and yell at him like he always does.

But it's not like Hyungwon even is an admirer, or any of the sort. He probably doesn't really even want to spend time with Minhyuk. Maybe his parents ordered him to do that after Changkyun expressed his dislike towards him, or something.

"May I?" Hyungwon asks, and Minhyuk realises that he's pretty much stayed silent and stared at him for the past minute.

"Yeah, sure," he says, and Hyungwon smiles at him again, nodding towards the other end of the hall with his head.

"Let's go, then."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
It turns out that, for some strange, unforeseen reason, Hyungwon enjoys Minhyuk's company.

And it's not even that Minhyuk is doing what he promised to Yeojoo - thinking about what he should and should not say, behaving or pretending to behave like a prince should. He might be watching his mouth when there are other people around, just to keep himself from embarrassing his sister more, but around Hyungwon, he certainly does not. Especially after he finds out that Hyungwon has some snarky remarks to shoot back at him sometimes.

Maybe that's the reason he's sticking to Minhyuk so much. Maybe they are, kind of, similar to each other. Far away from home, Minhyuk finds that comforting.

"Why is it that your hair is red, anyway?" Hyungwon asks, leaning against the railing of the balcony where, for whatever god-forsaken reason, he had managed to drag Minhyuk with him. "Wouldn't something like green be more fitting?"

Minhyuk makes a face. "Green hair is so ugly," he says, heaving his leg up and over the railing to sit on it like he does home, his legs dangling in the air. "Our kingdom is warm. Don't you think red is a warm colour?"

"I think red is an angry colour," Hyungwon says.

Minhyuk scoffs and turns his head to look at him, at his snowy, wavy hair and full lips, and suddenly he forgets what he was supposed to say.

That's the downside, of spending time with Hyungwon. One would think that after seeing his face every day for weeks, it wouldn't be so impressive to look at, but somehow it is, and Minhyuk is _screwed_. He doesn't stand a chance, in having Hyungwon as something more than an acquaintance. Even saying a _friend_ sounds too much.

If Minhyuk was a girl, he would be able to at least hope. But he's not - he's a boy, a man, through and through, one that happens to be attracted to other men, and especially to the second prince of the Northern kingdom. Two princes marrying each other is unheard of, even if among people who don't belong to royalty, same-sex relationships aren't uncommon.

And even if it was possible and acceptable, there's still that thing that Hyungwon, in all his glory, could never be attracted to Minhyuk. He most likely doesn't like men, and less likely does he like men like Minhyuk. And so, it's safe to say that Minhyuk is destined to suffer alone with his feelings for at least the four following weeks that he's still staying in this place.

"You're awfully quiet today."

Minhyuk huffs, tearing his gaze away from the other prince to drop it downwards at the ground below them. "Me?" he asks. "I believe you are imagining things, prince Hyungwon."

Hyungwon grins. Minhyuk can't see it, but he can hear it in his voice. "Am I now, prince Minhyuk?"

"Obviously yes," Minhyuk says. The railing is cold underneath his bottom and thighs, biting at his skin through his robes, and he kind of regrets sitting there. "I don't think anyone has ever mentioned me and quiet in the same sentence before."

"What about when they are telling you to be quiet?" Hyungwon asks. Minhyuk scoffs and twists his body to swat at his shoulder.

It happens in a blink of an eye.

One second he's sitting there, and the second he's slipping down, his robes gliding against the icy railing, and then, the next, he's squished in Hyungwon's embrace as the older yanks him back to the safe side of the railing.

Hyungwon's strength seems to disappear the second he has Minhyuk on the balcony again, and the both of them go tumbling down to the floor together, Minhyuk yelping loudly as they do. His head spins and his hands are shaking and he thinks that at some point he grasped at one of the numerous chains Hyungwon has around his neck and broke it. He has to take a moment, blinking rapidly before glancing up.

He's lying on Hyungwon's lap.

Right there, his hands and upper body sprawled on his thighs, his face nearly pressed against his abdomen, with Hyungwon leaning back on his hands and staring down at him.

"That was close," Hyungwon breathes out. Minhyuk is too dazed to respond.

There are sudden, quick footsteps inside, nearing the balcony, and Minhyuk scrambles away from Hyungwon out of pure instinct, sitting up on his own while inhaling sharply.

A servant peeks outside through the open doorway, looking down at the both of them, and she seems a little hesitant. "Your Highness? Is everything okay?" she asks. "I heard someone yelling."

"We are fine," Hyungwon tells her easily. There's a small smile on his face. "The balcony is a little slippery, I must say."

She forms a small 'o' with her mouth, but still lingers on the door. "Are you sure you didn't get injured? His Majesty-"

"It's okay, really," Hyungwon assures her. Minhyuk manages to somehow nod as well, wiping his hands on his robes as he does so. "Don't worry. You can get back to work."

She nods rapidly and then disappears from the doorway. Minhyuk glances at Hyungwon, who looks back at him, getting up from the floor and offering his hand. Minhyuk takes it and lets himself get pulled up as well.

It's only later that night when Minhyuk returns alone to the balcony that he realises he really did rip one of Hyungwon's necklaces, pieces of jewelry and gold shattered around the floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
"So, how's it going?"

"How is what going?" Yeojoo asks, her arms crossed across her chest. Minhyuk rolls his eyes.

"You and the crown prince, obviously."

They're sitting in Yeojoo's room, one similar to Minhyuk's but bigger and much more decorated. There's some tea along with biscuits on the small table next to the armchairs they're sitting on. Minhyuk took one sip of the tea earlier and immediately decided he doesn't like it one bit.

"Oh, that," Yeojoo says, and blushes. "It's- we- he's nice."

"I know that," Minhyuk says, grinning as Yeojoo blushes further, her cheeks resembling the color of her hair. "I meant, what have you two been up to?"

"Well," Yeojoo clears her throat and takes a sip of her tea, obviously trying to calm herself down. It's funny. "We've just been getting to know each other. Talking, about things. You know."

"I _don't_ know," Minhyuk says pointedly, "I really haven't been through an arranged marriage myself."

"Do you want me to describe each and every one of our conversations to you?"

"No thank you."

"Then stop that."

Minhyuk huffs and rolls his eyes, reaching over to the tray to grab a biscuit. Maybe they'll at least be edible.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Minhyuk asks in return, taking a bite of the biscuit. He grins afterwards. It's actually pretty tasty.

Yeojoo sighs. "It seems the second prince has taken a liking to you."

It's sudden and Minhyuk had _not_ been ready for that, so he ends up nearly choking on the biscuit, coughing loudly and beating at his own chest. Yeojoo stares at him, unimpressed.

"I- well I wouldn't say it like that," Minhyuk says, and he's fully aware that he's about to start rambling, "we just talk. Sometimes. Not even that much, I guess? He probably thinks of me just as an acquaintance anyway, and-"

 _"Minhyuk,"_ Yeojoo interrupts. Minhyuk shuts his mouth and looks at her. He can feel his own cheeks burning, and Yeojoo has her other brow raised in that way, and he thinks, this can't be happening. "Minhyuk," Yeojoo says again, "you _like him_."

" _What_!" Minhyuk squeaks. "I don't! What are you saying? Why would I like him?"

"Minhyuk, I'm your older sister. I know."

"Oh my _god,_ " Minhyuk groans, slumping back on his armchair while running both his hands across his own face.

This can't be happening. He can't have this conversation. Not here, not right now, _probably not ever_ , but especially not now. It makes everything just feel more real and he does not need one more person to remind him of the fact that what he is feeling is completely hopeless.

"Oh my god _exactly_ ," Yeojoo says, raising her voice a little, "Minhyuk, what are you _thinking_? You can't-"

"I _know_ , okay?" Minhyuk interrupts her sharply, sitting up straight on his chair. Yeojoo gives him a pointed look, and he sighs, dropping his gaze down to the floor. "I know," he repeats, a little softer, "it's not like I just woke up one morning and decided to like him. I- I didn't mean to."

He hears Yeojoo sigh, and then there's some creaking as she drags her chair closer to him and reaches then over to pat his hair.

"I'm sorry," she says, "I know it's not something you can control. I'm just worried for you."

Minhyuk nods and inhales deeply, lifting his head up and giving her a smile. "It's okay, though," he says, "it's just a small crush. It won't last."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's definitely not just a small crush.

Minhyuk grips at his cloak with one hand and wraps it tighter around his body to protect himself from the icy wind. With his other hand, he holds tighter onto the reins, and then takes a deep breath, nodding down at Hyungwon who's looking up at him with his feet securely on the ground.

("You're a prince and yet you haven't ridden a horse before?" Hyungwon had asked him earlier that day, a dangerous glint in his eyes, "we should do something about that.")

The stallion is _enormous_ , Minhyuk's feet dangling in the air on its sides, the ground looking like it's two metres beneath him. A fall of two metres. At least snow is soft.

Hyungwon grins at him, not looking bothered at all because of the cold air, and takes a step back. "Alright, do as I told you," he says, "you're doing great."

Minhyuk's cheeks heat up at the praise, and he nods, gently pressing at the stallion's sides with the heels of his boots. It starts moving easily, slowly slauntering forwards. Minhyuk swings a little to the side due to the movement. He inhales sharply and grasps at the reins with both his hands again, trying to follow the animal's movements like Hyungwon told him to do.

The things he does for that man.

They take a round on the small field, following the exact path Hyungwon walked them on earlier, and it actually goes well. Minhyuk feels pride dwell in his chest when he even manages to have the horse stop on his own without any help.

Hyungwon strides over to them once they stop, takes a hold of the reins for Minhyuk and looks up at him. "You're a fast learner," he says, and Minhyuk looks away, huffing.

"Of course," he replies, "what did you expect?"

"So obnoxious," Hyungwon laughs, "you know what, I take that back."

"Hey! Not fair," Minhyuk protests, whipping his head to the side to look at him again. "You already said it."

"Did I?" Hyungwon teases. Minhyuk rolls his eyes and lifts the collar of his cloak with both his hands to cover his mouth.

"Yes."

Hyungwon shakes his head, and before Minhyuk can protest again, asks him, "Are you cold?"

Minhyuk blinks, and then shrugs his shoulders. "Kind of," he says, "I'm still not used to this climate."

Hyungwon hums, offering the reins back towards Minhyuk's hands. The younger takes them, raising his eyebrow as he takes a few steps closer.

"Move forward," Hyungwon tells him. Minhyuk does, slipping a little to the side on the black stallion's bare back, but still managing to keep his balance. Hyungwon lifts a hand somewhere behind him, and suddenly, he's hoisting himself up, throwing a long leg over the animal's large back and grabbing at Minhyuk's waist to steady himself.

Oh.

Minhyuk gapes at him, gripping tightly at both the reins and the stallion's mane in shock as he stares at the older prince over his shoulder. Hyungwon smiles at him lazily and raises an eyebrow.

"Body heat," he says, snaking his hands from underneath Minhyuk's cloak and arms and stealing the reins from him again, pressing closer to Minhyuk's back in the process. "Don't look so shocked, prince Minhyuk."

"I- I'm not _shocked_ ," Minhyuk splutters, cheeks flushing because of his own stuttering. He turns his head away and swallows, trying not to focus on how close Hyungwon actually is to him. He doesn't do a very good job on that. Of course he doesn't. How could he? "Are we going back?"

"Why, are you so desperate to get rid of me?" Hyungwon asks. Minhyuk can feel him move his feet a little, and the stallion steps forwards, so suddenly Minhyuk's body yanks backwards, even closer to Hyungwon's chest, and he wants to die.

"Obviously," he breathes out, straightening his back in embarrassment. Hyungwon laughs. "God, you are _always_ laughing at me!"

"Just take it as you being funny," Hyungwon responds lightly. He leads the stallion away from the field and back towards the mountains. The sky looks pretty behind them, Minhyuk notices, sun is about to set. He hadn't even realised they'd stayed back for so long.

"Did you just compliment me?" Minhyuk asks, struggling to keep the conversation going on because he's not about to fall into silence and his own thoughts when Hyungwon is pressed against his back like this.

"Don't act as if I haven't done that before," Hyungwon says. His voice comes closer to Minhyuk's left ear, and Minhyuk blinks rapidly, leaning forwards a little.

He's usually the one to indicate closeness and skinship to other people, not the other way around. It feels strange, especially coming from Hyungwon, but not strange in a bad way - more in the way that his heart is definitely beating faster than it should and his cheeks are heating up despite the cold and he just hopes Hyungwon doesn't notice anything.

"You don't really do that often."

"I've been complimenting you this whole time we we've been here."

"But didn't you take it back?"

"Shut up."

This time, it's Minhyuk who laughs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
The sun has already set when they arrive back to the castle. It's one of the things Minhyuk was quick to catch on the first days of being in the North - the sun sets fast and early, mercilessly stealing every bit of warmth there is left in the mountains. He's shivering by the time the guards open the gates for them and the stallion walks inside, still at its steady, calming pace.

"You should get a thicker cloak," Hyungwon tells him. The gates creak shut behind their backs, and Hyungwon presses closer to Minhyuk's back, plopping his chin down onto his shoulder. Minhyuk's heart stops for a moment.

"I'm fine," he mutters, "the wedding will be in two weeks anyway, and then I'll be leaving."

Hyungwon doesn't say anything at that. Minhyuk wishes he did, because then he wouldn't have the time to get a strange, stupid heartache as his own words sink in. Two weeks.

Two weeks with Hyungwon.

He draws in a shaky breath and glances down at Hyungwon's hands, his pale skin hidden under a pair of gloves.

He wishes it was just a little bit longer.

They arrive in front of the castle's main doors. Hyungwon is the first one to slide down, offering his hand up to Minhyuk. Minhyuk takes it and gets down as well, his heartbeat still erratic as he pats the stallion gently with his free hand before a servant comes to take it away.

It's only then that Hyungwon lets go of his hand, and Minhyuk pulls it away, hiding it under his cloak in embarrassment. Hyungwon isn't still saying anything as he swirls around and walks up the stairs to the door, and Minhyuk isn't sure what to think about it, but he follows anyway.

He feels like the guards at the door look at the two of them for an unnatural amount of time before opening the doors, but maybe it's just his imagination.

"You must be freezing," Hyungwon finally speaks up when the doors go shut behind them with a loud thud. He looks at Minhyuk with a gentle smile, somehow different from all the others Minhyuk has seen on him, and it's _confusing_. "I suggest you take a long, warm bath. I'll see you in the morning."

Minhyuk nods, not sure what to say. He watches in silence how Hyungwon turns away from him and walks away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
"So, it will be in a week," the queen says excitedly, clasping her hands together. "How are you feeling, Hoseok, Yeojoo dear?"

"I'm sure it will go well," the crown prince answers, his cheeks flushed in a similar way to Yeojoo. The latter nods, taking a sip of her wine.

Minhyuk's chest feels heavy. He wishes he could be excited in favor of his sister - she has developed a close relationship with Hoseok in the past weeks already and obviously can't wait for the wedding - but the wedding, for him, is only the deadline of staying here and seeing Hyungwon.

A week, huh. It seems like the more he wishes for the time to slow down, the faster it goes. Maybe he should stop wishing.

He glances over to where Hyungwon is sitting on his usual seat in the dining table, and their eyes meet immediately, as if the second prince had already been staring at him.

Scratch that - he definitely needs to stop wishing.

The rest of the dinner is spent talking about the wedding - the decorations, the quests, Yeojoo's dress, the ceremony, how Yeojoo and Minhyuk's whole family will arrive in a few days to help with the preparations. Minhyuk doesn't take part in the discussion, picking at his food while stealing glances at Hyungwon's direction.

At one particular glance he ends up making a brief eye contact with Changkyun instead, the boy seated next to his older brother like always, and he blushes, hastily looking away. God, he needs to stop being so obvious, at this rate everyone is going to know.

When they finish, Minhyuk is the first one to leave the room, bowing repeatedly at everyone else in the room before fleeing out and then up the stairs towards his room. He has even gotten used to running up and down the staircase in the past few weeks.

Once in his room, he shuts the door after himself and sighs, rubbing at his face with both his hands. It should be only good he's leaving soon. Then, he won't need to see Hyungwon's stupidly attractive face or hear his stupid laugh or talk about stupid things with him. _Then_ , he can get over it.

Someone knocks on his door. He resists the urge to just yell at them to go away and turns around instead, cracking the door open.

It's Hyungwon. Of course it is.

"Hey," Hyungwon says, staring at him with his brows knitted in confusion, as if he wasn't exactly sure what he was doing there himself. "May I come in?"

"Of course," Minhyuk says softly, opening the door properly, and then shutting it again once Hyungwon has stepped inside the room. Hyungwon walks further inside without sparing him a glance, and then sits down onto the edge of his bed.

"Come sit with me," he says.

Minhyuk raises an eyebrow in suspicion, but walks over to the bed and sits down next to Hyungwon anyway. Their thighs brush together, but neither of them really flinches away.

The athmosphere is strange - nowadays, it has always been like that when they're together. Minhyuk doesn't know what to think about that. It might all just be in his head, he reminds himself as he watches Hyungwon pick at one of the bracelets he wears on his wrist.

"Hyungwon," he calls out for the older. Hyungwon looks up at him, finally, still looking as if he's deeply trying to solve something inside of his head. Minhyuk huffs, and without much thinking, reaches over with both his hands and presses his thumbs on Hyungwon's temples, gently massaging there. "Quit frowning like that," he says. "It doesn't suit you."

"I'm sorry," Hyungwon says, and Minhyuk raises his eyebrows.

"You don't need to apologize for it, though, it's not that serious," he says jokingly, attempting to lift up the mood.

"Not for _that_ ," Hyungwon says, and before Minhyuk gets to ask him, what, he's suddenly leaning forwards. Their noses bump together, and then Hyungwon is kissing him.

Hyungwon is _kissing_ him.

Minhyuk makes a choked up noise in shock, his hands balling up into fists where he still has them pressed against Hyungwon's temples. It takes a moment, or two, for the tension to leave his body and for his eyes to fall shut as he leans in the kiss.

Hyungwon's lips are soft, and his fingers cold as he brings his hands up to Minhyuk's shoulders, gripping at him through his robes, but for the very first time, Minhyuk isn't complaining at the cold. He lets Hyungwon press him down to his back onto the bed, their lips still pressed together as Hyungwon climbs on top of him, one of his knees in between Minhyuk's thighs. Minhyuk slides his hands down to Hyungwon's shoulders, carefully to the back of his neck until he's wrapped around him and their chests are pressed together, and Minhyuk can feel Hyungwon's heartbeat against his chest.

Hyungwon pulls away, just a little, breathlessly staring down at Minhyuk with his beautiful eyes. "I'm sorry," he says, "for that."

Then he's pulling away, untangling himself from Minhyuk's arms, and Minhyuk is too weak to try hold onto him. He sits up as Hyungwon gets up from the bed, white hair dangling in front of his face as he swirls around and leaves Minhyuk's room.

Oh, no.

Minhyuk scrambles up from his bed and runs after him, hastily calling for his name as he shoves his door open. Hyungwon is already going down the stairs, and Minhyuk follows him, almost tripping over his own feet on the first few stairs.

"Please, Hyungwon, _wait_ ," he begs, stumbling down the stairs until he's close enough to grab Hyungwon's wrist. "You can't just- where are you going?"

Hyungwon stops, and then pulls his hand free from Minhyuk's grip, turning around to look at him. "I shouldn't have done that," he says.

"But you _did_ ," Minhyuk says, stepping down so that he's standing on the same level with Hyungwon. "You did, and you can't just run away like this after that."

Hyungwon stares at him, and then sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I know," he says, "I _know_ , Minhyuk. I'm sorry. I-"

"Am I interrupting something?"

Minhyuk's blood runs cold.

He doesn't want to look, but he does anyway - turning around to face the king standing at the beginning of the stairs.

"Father," he whispers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They decided to arrive earlier, Minhyuk's mother explains. They wanted to take part in the preparations properly. They missed Yeojoo and Minhyuk.

Minhyuk is barely listening. His head is spinning, and he's not sure how he's able to stand on his own, to keep his balance without anyone holding him up. His hands are balled up on his sides and his breathing is shallow. He wasn't able to properly greet his brothers and sister, awkwardly standing still when Jooheon and Minji stepped over to hug him.

He doesn't think anyone even noticed, with Yeojoo emerging to the room and everyone hurrying over to her. And that's okay. That's good. He doesn't want to explain himself to them, and he doesn't want to have Hyungwon explain anything to them either.

 _Hyungwon_.

He's standing to the side with Changkyun and Hoseok, their parents greeting Minhyuk's, and everything is just a big daze and Minhyuk has to blink so he can _see_.

How much did his father hear? How much did he see? How much did he _understand_?

His father is a wise man. Surely he can figure out something like that without a doubt. And out of all the people, it really had to be him who saw it. Minhyuk is screwed.

He wonders how it's even possible to go from the pure high of Hyungwon kissing him to the anxiety he's currently experiencing in the span of fifteen minutes.

He watches how Hoseok quietly retreates over to Yeojoo, stands next to her with the two of them looking like they've already been married for _years_ , and listens to their mothers cooing about how good they look together. For a moment, he's overtaken by such a strong feeling of envy he feels like it's going to knock the air out of his lungs. Why is it that they get to experience that? Why can't Minhyuk do that with Hyungwon?

It's unfair.

 _So unfair_.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
Minhyuk wakes up to someone climbing into his bed.

His first instinct is to scramble away, still half-asleep while blinking rapidly as he attempts at kicking whoever is invading his room,

until he speaks.

"Wait, Minhyuk, it's _me_."

Minhyuk's breath hitches in his throat. He slowly lets the tension leave his body and turns around to look at Hyungwon, the older prince sitting on the edge of his bed in the darkness, clad in a thin, white robe, similar to the one Minhyuk is wearing.

"Why are you here?" he asks.

Hyungwon sighs, climbs further on the bed until he's sitting in front of Minhyuk, their knees pressing together. "To talk," he says, "since we didn't get to do that earlier."

Minhyuk nods and looks down at the way their knees are pressed together. This is it, he thinks to himself, Hyungwon is going to tell him that it was a mistake that should have never happened and ask him to forget about it. That's what's going to happen, and he needs to accept that.

"I'm sorry for what I did," Hyungwon breathes out, "for...running away. That was awful of me."

"It really was," Minhyuk says, and Hyungwon laughs lightly, the sound echoing in the silent room.

"And I know I said I'm sorry for kissing you," he continues then, and Minhyuk flinches, just a little, but still visible enough, and Hyungwon stops for a moment. "But the truth is, I'm not sorry for that."

Minhyuk blinks and looks up at him again. Hyungwon smiles at him, looking tired and sleepy with his fluffy, white hair and thin night robe. "I'm not sorry," he repeats, "because I really wanted to do it."

Minhyuk inhales sharply and asks, "do you want to do it right now?"

"I do," Hyungwon admits without any shame, and Minhyuk, with his heart hammering against his chest, brings a hand to his shoulder to grasp at his robe and says,

"Then do it."

Hyungwon does. He leans forwards and plants his lips on Minhyuk's, and they are both still sleepy and kind of out of it alltogether, but Minhyuk kisses him back with all he has, gripping at his clothes to pull him closer. Hyungwon comes closer, presses Minhyuk against the headboard and sits in between his legs, holding at his waist with his cold hands and Minhyuk whimpers into his mouth.

Hyungwon pulls back a tiny bit, still breathing against Minhyuk's lips, and whispers, "forgive me, my southern prince."

Minhyuk's heart leaps in his chest. He opens his eyes to find Hyungwon looking at him, and smiles a little. "I forgive you, my northern prince," he whispers.

Hyungwon returns his smile, and then kisses him again, and again, and _again_ , until they're both running out of breath and Minhyuk's head is spinning once again, but not in a bad way.

"I'll fight for you," Hyungwon tells him, pressing their foreheads together, "for us. As long as you want me, I'll keep fighting."

"I'll fight with you," Minhyuk promises. Hyungwon grins at him and brings his hand close to their faces, holding his pinky finger up, and Minhyuk resists the urge to roll his eyes and instead hooks his own finger around it.

"Promise," they whisper in unison, and then laugh, trying to drown their giggles so they don't carry over to the next room over.

 

 


End file.
